Kærlighed, Fred, Einstøing
by Syphira
Summary: 5 People. 3 Arcs. Jump into the lives of these five different people that involve living near the Scandinavian Countries. AU. Rated T, but is expected to go up in the future. Nyotalia Characters involved. Angst. DROPPED as of 2011/12/21
1. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 1

**Warmth with Chills**

**Arc I – Chapter I**

**Series – **Axis Powers: Hetalia

**Rating – **T; Will Go Up Later.

**Pairings – **Various Pairings throughout the story; First Arc should be obvious by character names.

**Summary **- 5 People. 3 Arcs. Jump into the lives of these five different people that involve living near the Scandinavian Countries. AU. Rated T, but is expected to go up in the future.

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><p><strong><em><span>Warning: Long Author's Note Up Ahead - SKIPPING IS OPTIONAL.<span>_**

**Hello guys~ Syphira here after what seemed like a really. Really. Long Hiatus. I've come to the conclusion that I can't work on certain stories anymore, and that they're dropping like flies until I feel the need to finish them up again. Links to Fantasy, Pokemon: Friends Reunited, along with this new story are my current projects that may or may not be dropped (Not this one, of course. I just started it). I love Pokemon and Trickster both, but it's hard getting inspiration for them. Hetalia doesn't seem to be a problem.**

**I won't be dropping them now, though. I might as well try to start the flames of inspiration again before even attempting to drop them. I'm also working on "Pistol on My Pillow" a collaborative story with 7 other people on the account "ToastSorellas."**

**So, I hope you enjoyed the first five chapters. I plan on trying to do these in bundles, and, if possible, update each week on Saturday.**

**30 Days of Working. I was surprised this is how it turned out. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave some reviews!**

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><p>"<em>My name is Tino Vainamoinen, and I have lived in Finland my whole life...<em>"

The classroom was awfully quiet for the first day, but that's what made the environment so nice for Tino: A 17-year-old who just recently enrolled in a University located in Helsinki, Finland. He and his parents were trying pretty hard to get the Finnish boy into the school he wanted to attend for so long. Sibelius Academy was probably the only place where he could study Music and get along with it just fine; He had tried looking at other Universities, but the fact that they didn't really give Musical Careers didn't help him at all.

At the moment, he was writing a drabble to give to the teacher as a practical grade in the class itself. It was some sort of introduction they all had to produce so the person would have an idea on who they were working with; Tino would always feel obliged to do these kinds of things, assignments or not. Coming from a family of friendly civilians, Tino did not hesitate when it came to making friends with the people he said hello to.

Placing his pen back down after finishing his writing, he placed his hands onto his cheeks and rested his head on them — giving a smile all the while. He could not _wait _to start the new school year, especially because it was his first year in college. Mentally humming a small tune that was pretty close to his home's national anthem, he just watched as writing utensils dropped onto the tables that surrounded the many students in the classroom.

By many, there were only 15.

The bell that signaled for students to leave finally rang, but Tino wasn't going to be the first one to rush out the door like some sort of barbarian. He neatly put his books back into his bag, slipped his pen into his pencil case, and placed them both back into his sackpack. It took him awhile to do this, but it didn't seem like the teacher thought it was wrong or anything; He almost looked like he had this look of relief on his face. Clutching the paper in his hands, he practically skipped towards his professor to hand him what he wrote, and waved back to him with a cutesy way of saying: "Moi Moi!"

And that was the end of his day in college so far—Not that he was expecting anything eventful to come up in Helsinki at the moment, but anything was better than going home on an almost quiet note. The winter air he was so used to hit him across the face, making those pale cheeks of his such a rosy red. That was probably the only thing he couldn't stand in Finland: The fact that his cheeks easily reddened from just going outside.

"I should get home as quick as possible," He spoke to himself, picking up the pace on all his footsteps. "I don't want to get a cold, not to mention I need to finish filling out all those papers that were left on my table this morning!"

Living alone was going to be the biggest challenge for him, when he thought about it. He didn't have much financial aid either, due to living alone with his little dog by the name of Hanatamago. He took a deep breath and sighed, the warm breath showing up in such a foggy cloud and his feet trudging against the falling snow. He decided to hum a tune while walking, twirling his fingers in the air while doing this. He wanted to start skipping in joy again, but decided against it in case he got looks from people that walked around him.

Though, when he crossed the street, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. The little Christmas tune playing even though it wasn't even close to Christmas. It was still the middle of November after all, so he had to be careful when getting worked up on something as small as Christmas.

"Moi Moi~?" It didn't matter who Tino was speaking to. He would always say it, no matter what.

"_Tino. How have you been?_" There was rummaging in the background – something that was similar to having boxes being shuffled around the places. "_It's been a few years since we've talked, hasn't it?_"

"Oh, Eduard!" Oh, Tino knew this guy and knew him well. Eduard went to what Americans would call "Junior High" with him. He came and went back to a country known as Estonia, and was well known in his class for being such a star student. Tino never understood how the two got along together, but he was expecting it to be because of the numerous festivals that they were both interested in. "It's been awhile! I'm okay, just walking home from school. Classes ended early today, so I'm debating on whether to stop by the store on the way home or not."

"Ah, that's right, you just settled in a week ago right?" The rustling in the background stopped, and Eduard let out a large sigh before plopping down somewhere to talk with Tino. "I hope it wasn't hard moving all the things without my help."

"No, it's okay!" He lied, trying not to make the Estonian feel bad. It was hard, running back and forth and bringing a few things prior to requesting a Moving Truck to help him out with getting everything else. "I have to admit, I feel lonely at times when you're not around to come over and hang out with me like you used to!"

"When I get the chance, I'll ask my parents if I can go back to Finland to visit you." Eduard was never the type to have a playful tone in his voice. However, when it came to Tino, he could express his without a care in the world. "Right now we're on a tight budget, so I can't exactly fly over to your place at the moment."

"A-Ah, you don't have to worry about it at all!" He waved his hand in the air, despite the slight sadness in his voice of reason. Well, it's not like he _didn't _want Eduard to come over once again. It was the fact that he might not ever be able to seehim _ever again _that struck a nerve in his chest. Nevertheless, he had to learn to bare with it. He did before, so why couldn't he now?

And so they continued to converse, in which Tino ended up sitting on a snow covered bench to continue talking with his old schoolmate. He kicked his feet up in the air like a child, sharing many laughs while people just walked by and heard the little boy talk. They started talking about world news – about how the snow would be setting in, and he would have to be careful these next few days. Of course, he reassured the boy that he would be completely fine the next few days. Eduard never seemed convinced when he was telling him about it, though.

"I told you, I'll be fine Eduard! I've lived here all my life, so I don't really have a problem when it comes to the winters here!" Tino gave a small chuckle, before looking up to the sky and noticing the sun already setting. He took his cell phone away from his ear, noticing they had already been talking for two hours straight. Noticing the time, he almost dropped his phone while panicking and placed it back to his ear. "E-Eduard! I have to go home before it gets dark!"

"What do you—_Whoa_! We've been talking for that long?" He gave a light chuckle, shaking his head. "Well, I won't be a burden anymore. Get home safe, okay? I'll call you again some other time."

"Y-Yeah! No worries! I'll be sure to call you up s-sometime, too!" Tino's panic and worry skills were all too similar to the White Rabbit of _Alice in Wonderland_; Whenever he missed a deadline or screwed up on something, he panicked and made himself hyperventilate more than he actually should. As soon as he said goodbye (more than once) to Eduard, he slipped his phone back into his bag and ran across the snowy sidewalks in order to get to the path of his house.

Yes, Tino was always one to talk on the phone for hours on end. However, he wasn't expecting the time to fly by so fast. With a small shrug, he grabbed hold of a pole and went from twirling to skidding to the left, arriving on one of the previous sidewalks and getting close to the Apartment of which he lived in. He almost slipped, but the heels of his boots were the ones that "cockblocked" the fall. Thank goodness, the floor wasn't as slippery as it normally would be if the place heated up.

"Finally made it..." He muttered after slipping in the key, turning the doorknob and pushing the door open to encounter such a neatly furnished room. In one doorway, there was a white-walled kitchen that had a few cups and plates set up to the side; Tino suspected that he might have accidentally forgotten to put them up before setting off to school. He stopped worrying about it though when he saw his little dog run towards him in a sprint.

"Oh, Hanatamago!" Bending down to pick up what looked like a Bichon Frise, he held him close when he noticed the little one put it's paw on his lips. "Did you miss me? I'm sorry for leaving you for a couple of hours~"

The puppy barked in response, it's tail wagging in eagerness from seeing Tino for the first time in hours. The Finnish boy smiled, nuzzling it's nose with his own before putting it down onto the floor. Hanatamago then ran to it's bowl, looking into it with the tail now refusing to wag for him.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" He chuckled, walking over to the cabinet to grab the dog food and opening the bag to pour it into the dish that had the flag of Finland marked on it. Tino couldn't help himself when it came to buying it while shopping for other things at the store; He thought it would be cute to look at Hanatamago eating out of it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! "Eat up and stay healthy, okay?"

Another bark. Tino smiled.

"One day, Hanatamago, I'll take you out somewhere; Maybe, I'll take you to the park again, or take you into a _kauneussalonki_ to you get your fur trimmed." He knelt down, patting the female pup's head. "You'll look all squeaky clean after you come out of a bath!"

Ah, yes. This was the daily life of Tino Vainamoinen ever since he turned six; He didn't have many friends, so playing with Hamatamago was his only chance at getting to know someone. Many people have asked him before if he had ever felt like staying locked up in his house forever, but he just said no. He was the outgoing type – why would he stay inside and be sheltered up and isolated for the rest of his life? Not that there was a problem with that, but he just wasn't that kind of person.

"Tomorrow's a new day, Hana!" Tino spoke, clenching his fist in such childish determination, that it made him seem like he was some sort of 10 year old building something out of dominoes or cards. "I've started school, yes, but that just means every new day has something awaiting us!"

Yes, this was Tino Vainamoinen: The 17-year-old Finnish Boy who always had a bright side to everything~


	2. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 2

Despite it just being a day of introductions, Tino had already settled down on his bed in the room with the work and papers he had to finish filling out before the due date hit him in the head. It was quite frustrating; He wasn't living in a house, but an apartment, and even then he had to fill out numerous papers that stated he resided there. He also had to be careful of the languages that they were given in; He almost confused one with the Swedish language, and misread about half the information that was on the paper itself. Poor, Poor Tino.

"Let's see... Finanical aid..." He was muttering to himself all the while, kicking his feet in the air while listening to "_Da Da Dam_" and have the patriotism fill up his mind and continue finishing up what he needed for the rest of the day. At some points, he had to jump off the bed and run towards the kitchen to pick up a few papers that he might have left when bringing them in. Oh, how he would _dread _the day that mail came to his mailbox as well; Tino was becoming seriously unmotivated with handling all the paperwork that he needed to complete then and there.

"All this paper work is surely distressing..." He heaved a sigh, turning onto his back after he got back into the bed. He slung an arm over his eyes, as if he didn't want the world to see what he looked like. "Sometimes, I'm really glad my parents were there to help me before... I wonder how they made it through on supporting us before we all left..?"

Hamatamago leaped onto the mattress and stepped all over the boy, plopping onto his chest and barking in his face in concern. Tino was going to ask her to get off of him, but he couldn't help feel comforted by the dog and the fact that it was practically laying on the wrong part of his chest. He didn't mind after awhile, brushing his hands over the white fur that gave Hamatamago her own form of beauty.

"Kiitos for coming to check on me, Hana!" He simply smiled, giving a small laugh as she got closer and licked his face. "Hahaha~! I guess you're really worried, huh? Don't worry, though; I'm just getting a bit frustrated at all the paperwork that I ended up getting!"

Another bark.

"Hm.. I guess I could start on all my homework!" He slid off his bed again, dashing towards the bag and bringing out a couple of folders and books that he carried with him for the day. Well, Hamatamago almost fell off the bed, but Tino panicked and placed her right back on it. He opened a book – the daily planner that he bought for himself to keep track of everything – and flipped to the page of a month to start writing down what he needed to do. He had already filled it up with things such as Grocery Shopping, or finding out what to do with his free days; However, he had _not _filled it up with any of his schoolwork. Typical Tino and his goofiness.

"I want to get a musical career, don't I..?" He questioned himself, "So what subjects will I actually need..."

There he went again, pacing across the house as the sun continued to set outside his window. He did not touch the schoolwork yet – not once; Why did he have to go and do this every time? Questioning himself about this, he paced around the room with a pen in hand and wrote down all the bookwork that he had to do in a certain period of time. He didn't even realize until the end that he had swapped languages about three times; English, Finnish, and Swedish were all across the planner now that he was in his mode of trepidation. After what seemed like hours (though, it was pretty close to one), he finally set the planner down on the kitchen counter and wrote down all the work that he had to get started on that same evening.

"Well, it'll do no good to start working on my work with an empty stomach.." He winced, "I guess I'll have some _Kaalikääryle_ for dinner. It'll be easy to make with all that leftover cabbage I still have..."

He refused to idly stand there like some sort of idiot when it came to his food; He got right onto it, soon opening every single cabinet and counter he had to get all the necessary ingredients. He was running around his own home, letting the water boil at some point while running around and setting his things up at the table. He had prepared the material at a diligent pace, occasionally going back to his room and sitting down to work on his assignments until he heard the bell in the kitchen go off every few minutes.

When he finally sat down to eat though, he felt the need to relax and take his mind off of things for the moment. If he couldn't withstand any of this, then college was going to be a handful for him; He had to learn how to _not _panic every time something didn't go his way as well. He loved being cheerful every day, but that was pretty hard to keep up with if something was stressing him out. He took his fork and played with his food, moving the small balls of cabbage in the plate that were doused with a different type of sauce. Why he was thinking so much about this, he couldn't say...

"No, I have to keep a cheery look on my face!" He stuffed a piece of the Cabbage Roll into his mouth, chewing on it and humming to a nostalgic tune that he used to listen to when he was just a little kid. Swallowing the food in his mouth, he had an epiphany. "Oh! I know! While I work on my schoolwork, I could try calling Eduard to see if he could help me out on it!"

It was already 8:00PM, and the moon was already glowing to it's heart content. Tino pouted, and decided that maybe it would be better for Eduard to get his sleep while he concentrated on his work.

Because his main major was music, he had to get used to writing numerous essays on musical history, as well as get used to reading all the sheets. He could never read music – which was odd, because he at one point played an instrument in his life. He would just follow by ear though, and that was good enough for him, he thinks.

"Wait, that means I have to play an instrument again don't I..?" He muttered, thinking about the prices of the many instruments that he could possibly afford or try to save up for. He wanted to be a composer though – not an actual person who plays an instrument! Then again.. He could use the instrument knowledge to his advantage later on.

..Did anyone still play the Kantele, though?

…Probably not.

Well, it didn't matter; Tino would have to decide on a new instrument, or he might be screwed when it comes to going to school with everyone else. He highly doubted that there would be anyone who could appreciate his musical talents with the poor instrument – Screw it. He made his decision final by going after something on the internet. So, the next few hours, he worked on his homework for a few minutes and then went onto the internet on his phone. It would cost him more, but what the hell; This was_ still _school-related!

That night, he couldn't sleep that well; He would pop open his violet eyes once in awhile and only find himself staring at the wall above him. He was not dreaming – he was only taking a few simple naps that lasted for about 10 minutes or so, and then bolted up from his bed right after that. He was too busy thinking about the present time, that he could barely think about having a new day ahead of him when it came to working towards the _future_. Oh, that little Finnish boy...

"Come on, Tino, it's time to be optimistic!" He fist pumped into the air, a wary cheer being expressed as he did this. He may _act _confident, but he didn't _seem _very confident in what was happening around them all. "Yeah! I think I got it now! I-I'll be able to make it through this school-year with the tiniest little problems if I can just. Stay. Positive!"

He was about to close his eyes once more – the clock showing that it was midnight, when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

"W-Who could be here at this time of night?" He let out a small yelp, his pajama sleeve slipping down his shoulder as he jumped off the bed once more. He wiped the incoming sweat off his forehead, trying to make himself look convincing to anyone who was at the door. He gave a quick nod before unlocking the decorated piece, and turning the knob to see who it could be at the time.

"Pitkästä aikaa, _Tino!_"

There, in the entrance, stood a girl with a bowl cut hairstyle covering some of her face; She was wearing a large winter coat, and there was a suitcase and a box that was being held with her only free arm. She had a small smile on her face – the pale cheeks that were revealed by porch light showing a dark shade of red. It wasn't that she was nervous, but the fact that the cold had hit her numerous times in the face. Tino's face of distress soon disappeared when he recognized the person with violet colored eyes and golden tufts on her head.

"_T-Tina_? It's been a long time since we've seen each other!" His lips were tugged into a wide grin, and he immediately took the box from her hand and allowed her to come inside. Hanatamago soon came running towards them, getting on her hind legs and pawing at the female who was called 'Tina.'

"Mama had this big feeling that you might have trouble on living alone, and she wanted you to stay safe while you attended college!" Tina gave a small nod, picking up the dog and petting it on it's head. "I-I hope you don't mind me staying with you! I was already searching for jobs and everything!"

"No.. Not at _all_!" Tino closed the door with his feet, placing the box onto the table before pulling out a chair to let her sit down. "I'm actually quite _relieved_! I was _just _thinking about all of it today!"

"...You didn't get the email talking about all of this?" She tilted her head, puzzled as she looked hurt.

"I don't have a computer anymore, and I didn't bother checking it on my phone yet." He chuckled nervously, "I'm sorry! I've just been so busy!"

"I wouldn't blame you!" Tina then let out a light chuckle, putting Hanatamago back onto the ground before taking a seat. "I told Mama to call you, but it looks like she didn't take my advice..."

"It's okay – You're here now, and that is all that matters!" He gave a small chuckle, but then blinked. "Tina, how are you going to support yourself when I'm not here? I'll be in school, and I'm going to have a job sooner or later as well!"

"Didn't I _just _tell you that I'm already looking for something~?" She snickered, reaching over to pat his head with a cheesy smile. "Get some rest tonight; I can find a place to nap and stuff. I'll tell you more tomorrow, because I think I might have actually obtained a job!"


	3. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 3

The next morning, Tina and Tino were already in the kitchen to start off the day.

Tina was his twin sister: They could practically swap places for each other for the day if it weren't for the fact that her breasts actually show a bit. She was busily making food for the day, watching the snow cover up the whole place while listening to the radio that was installed on her clock. She was listening to the weather report and felt like her mood had been slightly dampened from all of it. Finishing up the Open Sandwiches that she was decorating with various fruits, she walked over to the table and set it down, walking towards the window and pulling the curtains out of the way.

"_Kiitos_~!" Tino spoke in a sing-song voice, now noticing the distant expression on her face. "Hm? I-Is something wrong, Tina..?"

"Well, aren't you kind of disappointed that your school closed down this morning?" She muttered, placing her hand on the glass that was as cold as ice. "You miss some information, don't you..?"

"W-Well, it is a _bad _thing to a certain extent.." He scratched the back of his head, placing his pen down after working on a few more pieces of paperwork to eat. "However, it does give me more time t-to finish all the work that's been put in a stack that I haven't been able to complete yet."

"Well, don't forget that you have to go Grocery Shopping today too..." She walked back to her chair and sat, munching on some of the bread and strawberries that were sliced. "You didn't seem to have much food left in store; Why is that?"

"Ah, well I'm used to picking up certain ingredients and then just eating what I bought for that day!" He gave a small laugh, biting down on the food and swallowing it before talking some more. "I-I need to remember that you will be residing with me, so I'll have to stock up for certain days."

"_Especially _now! There is so much snow outside, I don't even think we'll be able to go out anywhere else if the snow gets worse." She began to hold her head, standing up and pacing around the room while muttering nonsense in Finnish. "O-Oh no.. T-That means, I can't work o-on t-the days o-of horrible s-snowing! W-What if I-I'm caught in my job..!"

"..Tina, c-calm down!" He shot up from his seat, running to the other side and grabbing his sister's hands that were practically freezing. "Y-You never told me what job you might have been accepted into.. And, even if that does happen, there's nothing we c-can do! I-It's snow; I-It's a part of life – we can't stop it, y-you know.."

"Still.." Tina's voice trailed off as he said this, allowing her to take a deep breath and release it in order to stop herself from trembling or shaking. "..If you're going Grocery Shopping sometime soon, remind me to come along with you! I'm not letting you drag your feet in the snow and possibly _die _there!"

"Y-You get too paranoid sometimes..." He chuckled nervously, letting go of her hands and crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll be fine, s_isko_.. Really! I'm too used to going out in the snow alone, anyways. I'll just take the streets and stay to the side unless there are cars coming our way!"

"I'm still not convinced for as to why I should let you go alone..."

"Well, I also need to get Hana's hair trimmed; Not to mention, I need to send all these applications and such into the mailbox in the city!" He pointed out, slipping the ones that he had finished into separate manila folders and then walking to his room to get a rubber band from the drawers. When he found one he ran back out to the table and began to wrap the finished folders, creating a small stack of what he needed to send in before sitting down again to finish the rest of his breakfast.

"..You really want to leave the house alone, don't you?" She gave a small smile, taking the files in hand. "Does Hanatamago have her records somewhere in the place? If she does, then I'll need that before I take her to get what she needs done."

"Tina, I highly doubt a groomer needs to know our social security number."

"T-There are some that need it depending on how professional the groomers are!" She winced, a bit hurt at his comment. She shrugged it off quickly, though. "...If you say so, though..."

"Right! I just need you to drop those things off, then drop off Hanatamago at the groomers!" He walked inside his room again, digging for his wallet in the pocket in the jeans he wore yesterday, and pulled out a couple of bucks that he kept inside. "I-I don't have much, so if you can't afford the groomer, just bring Hanatamago back!"

"Don't worry about the money, Tino!" She gave him another warm smirk with a nod that she understood his orders... Until he mentioned the prices. "I will pay for it with some of the money that I have. We'll just split it!"

"Will that be alright with you..?" He muttered, unsure if she was being serious about it or not. "I can just pay the whole amount!"

"I'll be fine~" She waved her hand off, picking up the files and grabbing the pink leash Hanatamago had for taking walks outside. If the floor got any colder, then Tina would have to pick her up and carry her due to the excessive cold that could touch her paws and practically harm them. "Is it the Mailbox Office down a few blocks?"

"Well, that's where you stop to get to the Office that I need to deliver them in.." He pulled out a map from the drawer, handing it to her and beginning to explain what routes and what directions she had to take in order to get to the destination. It wasn't _that _hard, considering it was just a few curves in the bus and then walking towards the building. If she followed directions, she would be able to get there without spending so much money on a single trip.

"Oh, and just make sure Hanatamago doesn't disrupt any of the people on the bus – that can get you kicked off!" Tino winced, remembering the first time he took a bus to his old school, but ended up getting kicked off because Hanatamago kept barking at the lady that was sitting right beside him. He was so flustered that day; It was the only reason he walked anywhere with Hana in hand.

"...You were kicked off a _bus_?"

"H-Hana did it!"

And then sighs and laughter spread throughout the room.

**~x~**

...Tino had gone separate ways after an hour of getting Tina to memorize directions and rules when it came to handling the puffy dog. He was walking along the sidewalk now, extending his arms like a toddler and walking with his wallet in the puffed up jacket he was wearing. Humming a similar Christmas tune, while beginning his childish skip down the sidewalk's road.

It was snowing, no doubt about it. The winds made it much colder than it should be, but the only thing he was worried about was tripping himself up in the snow itself. Whenever he did, he would laugh and continue walking like if it was a casual occurrence. He made sure that he kept the wallet in his pocket, and that he didn't forget it on the way home. It would have been a nuisance to run back to his house and then have to run through the snow in order to get to his destination; He tried not to think about that possibility.

The snow itself was coming in quick, and that was giving Finland some obstacles when he got into the store. While the place had stocked up bread and many other things to heat up for the wintertime, there were just too many people up front that were trying to rush in and out of the place. This was such a troublesome moment for the Finn; He needed to go in and out of the storm before the snow got any worse. He wouldn't be able to walk back home.

He began to walk around the aisles once he finally got inside, picking out things like Paper Towels or plastic utensils that he and his sibling could share as they lived in the apartment together. Tina wasn't the one who used a lot of dishes when eating, but they were still only human. Anything could happen, and they could most likely use the utensils for anything else – Like a person using a butter knife to get something after it was lodged into something else.

Yep. Tino had tons of ideas when it came to being resourceful about something; He didn't like wasting things, so why should he start now that he's out his parents' home?

It took about a half an hour that he finally made his way to the meat and produce section. He carried the basket filled with what he needed in his hands, and looked at the many sections that came up before him. He dug into his wallet a couple of times, price-checking while looking at the amount of money he could spend at the store. Maybe it _wasn't _a good idea to go shopping alone... He would have to spend more than he normally did on items; Not to mention, it wouldn't be for just one person and a dog anymore. He let out a hesitant sigh, before getting the generic products that the store created and sold.

"Oh, Tina... I love you and all, but I was actually awaiting the day that I could finally l-live alone..!" Was all he could say after he picked out a large package of meat, and a small box of eggs that would most likely last them for one or two weeks. He took awhile on choosing the meat – deciding if he should get either pork or poultry – and then decided on taking home ham and the rest of the things that he was able to pick up on the way out of that aisle.

_Kiitos ja on kiva päivä_: That was the familiar phrase that Tino was so very used to whenever he exited the store with the goods he bought in hand.

~**x**~

He thought everything would be okay; Tino thought that he could get home before the snowstorm hit the entire city. He was expecting the snow to have stopped or at least have the wind die down to cease the amount of snow hitting him in the face. When he walked outside that night, he didn't expect to almost trip and fall into a large amount of snow that surrounded it. Many of the customers were now advised to stay inside for the night, but he refused to do so; He was going to go back home to Tina and Hanatamago, both who were most likely scared shitless of his actions.

"I-I always knew that the snow was horrible h-here, but..." He carried a sturdy brown bag as he pressed his legs through the snow; The cold dirt brushed up against his legs inside his boots, and that made him tremble. He had to be careful not to get too much snow in there; What if he got frostbite on his feet? "T-this is ridiculous..! I-I'm shivering, a-and I won't be able to get home that fast.."

There was another obstacle coming his way: The Sun. The large star of light was now setting in the distance, and the fact that he couldn't run did not support the fact that he might have a chance of getting out of there. He had heard of many people dying getting trapped into these big piles of snow; Was he going to be one of them? With grit teeth, he knelt down and jumped over an incoming pile of snow, thinking that it was safe until he saw what was coming towards him.

"D-Dammit!" He yelped when he felt his foot connect with a rock, the packaged items now flying out of his hand and the bag, and into the white flooring below. Tino then tumbled down the hill, his body rolling over things a good two or three times before he fell into a hump of two piles of snow.

"Ow..." He winced, trying to make himself stand back up, but to no avail. He scratched up his hands when trying to grasp onto something; Why did they have to be stones that could have scarred him? Why couldn't they have been something softer – like leaves. "There's too much... Just too much snow for me to move through.."

He stayed there for about ten minutes, rolling around and receiving more snow to the face or to the back. Tino was now curled up into a ball, his hands barely touching the cell phone that had rang numerous times, but he decided against it to answer. It rang once more, and gave him a third missed call – the fourth call coming with a voice mail and text message all the while. Normally, he would be as cheery as could be in these situations and find a way out; Why was there so much stress being pushed against him _now_?

"T-Tina..." A cracked voice finally erupted, and the violet orbs were now hidden by the lids above them. "..Forgive me... I-I should have listened.."

But, then there were footsteps... Those footsteps stopped in front of him as he blacked out, and the stranger's gloved hand picked up the light blue phone and answered it.

"_..H'llo.._?"


	4. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 4

Tina's eyes widened at the sudden deep voice; Who was that? Where was Tino? Why didn't he answer the phone? The twin was so worried, that she almost dropped the phone and hung up on the person. Feeling her legs almost give out, she clutched onto the phone tightly and began talking into it.

"W. . . Who is this?" Her voice came out in a measly whimper; Why was she so intimidated with the voice? "W-What have you done with T-Tino?"

"M'ss, 've n't d'ne 'nyth'ng t' h'rt h'm." The voice sounded stern – _much _deeper than anyone she would've spoken to around the country. She felt her heart sink lower at the tone of voice, but she also felt more confidence grow in her heart because he hasn't hurt him. "W's w'lk'n h'me, wh'n I s'nly s'w a b'dy 'n th' sn'w... Th' ph'ne r'ng, t'..."

"So then.. W-Where's Tino? Oh, is Tino alright?" Her footsteps echoed through the phone's call as she grabbed her own coat, slipping her arms inside it while unclenching and clenching her hands to see if it fit inside. When she felt that the coat fit perfectly, she opened the door to the house and felt a pile of snow make it's way into the house. "Ack!"

"H's st'll br'th'n; H's ch'ks 're pr'tty r'd 's w'll." The thick accent was hard to make out when it came to talking with this man, but she could get what he was saying. Tino was freezing – He needed help, and he was probably pushed back and forth by the snowstorm. With a serious nod, she moved her legs through the snow and got out of the house; A slam of the door was heard as she ran across the pavement of the residence to find Tino at a faster pace; Of course, she had slipped a few times, but she didn't fall and that was okay as long as she could get to her brother in time.

"W-Where are you guys at, exactly?" She noticed the bus stopped in the snow – the people trying so hard to get around it with a few struggles. "I need to know where he's at! M-My brother..."

"H's 't th' st're n'r the b's st'p t'w'ds S'b'l's 'c'demy." He muttered, the snow crunching beneath his feet as he held him up by a shoulder; Not only that, but he was trying pretty hard hold the phone without letting it slide out of hands again.

"Sibelius _Akatemia_.. A-Alright, I-I'm on my way..! H-Hang up, and I-I'll call you when I'm near the area!" And that ended the conversation, making her flip the pink-colored phone closed and placing it back into her jacket pocket. Clenching her hands into fists, she skidded around the bus in the street (even with a few cars in her way), and ran down the street; It wasn't that hard to figure out where her brother would go, because she knew the exact same shortcut! She had taken this shortcut when she first arrived over at his place...

A honk of a car was heard, and she had to jump out the way. Too close for her own good...

...Meanwhile, the deep accented man was doing his best to get the Finn out of the snow before it caught him. Small grunts were coming out of the mouth of the taller stature, but he didn't seem to have a problem with getting through all the cold weather. He too, was struggling through the snow, however he could step over the many mounds of it and not get tired so easily. At one point, he had to kick the rocks out of the area in order to get through one of the piles. Though, when he found a nearby bench, he took a seat and leaned Tino's body onto his shoulder; He kept the gloved hand onto his neck, trying to warm him up in any way he could.

"Oi." He muttered, taking off a glove to feel around for the heartbeat. "'re y'u 'l've?"

No response, but as long as he could hear the shallow breathing, he was alright. He held the blonde even closer – the jacket Tino was wearing was obviously not as warm as it should've been for him. He was like this with a lot of people around him – despite being so intimidating; Whenever they fell in the snow, or if they would get hurt, he was always trying his best to get them out of the situation before something worse came. Tino was no different. He just kept clutching onto the smaller boy, watching the snow fall harder and hit him against the face while he looked around for the boy's family member; His glare was hardening, and his grip on the boy's body just grew tighter.

And tighter.

And-

There was an incoming call from Tino's phone, and the man dug into the pocket to grab the device and answer it for him; The same number – It was _Tina_!

Answering, he bluntly said: "Wh'r' 'r y'u 't?"

Rapid breathing came from the other side; Tina was still running across the streets, calling out Tino's full name even though the snow stopped it from echoing so much. Her breathing was picking up the pace while she ran attempted to tell him her whereabouts while sprinting. "I-I'm on my way t-to the store! I-I'm running into w-way too many cars, so it's hard g-getting there! I'm sorry you have to wait out here i-in the snow!"

"'s f'n'." He muttered through the phone, "H's 'n m' c'r', st'll br'th'ng. . . H's pr'tty c'ld r'ght n'w, th'gh..."

"A-Alright! I-I'm almost there!" She winced, passing by another truck while the boots crunched through the icy floor. In her mind, she was praying to the Gods to get him through the horrible weather, and that the man would be able to keep him as warm as possible. It wasn't long before she saw the bench they were sitting on, hanging up the phone and placing it into her pocket as she approached them.

The man's face was as intimidating as his tone was over the phone, and the cerulean eyes that were focused on Tina were mirrored by the lens of his glasses. His blonde hair was being covered with falling snowflakes, but it didn't seem like he was shivering at all – rather, he looked like nothing was affecting him in the weather. It seemed like at one point, he had wrapped his own sweater over Tino due to the fact that his shirt and pristine skin were now in clear view. Her eyes widened, but she had no time to talk about him, she had to get to her brother quickly.

". . . 'r y' th' 'n' fr'm th' ph'n' c'll?" He muttered, standing up while holding Tino bridal-style.

"Y-Yes!" She quickly nodded, catching her breath while she watched carry Tino; He was quite tall, too, so it wasn't impossible that he could do that so easily. "W-We need to get him home, but. . . I'm not sure if I can get him back by myself!"

Her head turned to the cars and trucks that were parked on the sidewalk, and she looked back at him, a cloud of "smoke" from her breathing appearing as she spoke. Her eyes were determined, as if they were pleading for him to help out.

. . . And he gave a simple nod, asking her to lead him to her house.

**~x~**

Seconds passed. Minutes passed. By the time they got home, the sun was already setting before them. Tina had allowed the taller male in, placing Tino into his bedroom and tucking him into the sheets before the warmth escaped the room. She kept the lights on, sitting near the bed and holding her brother's hand.

"_Ole hyvä_ . . ." She whimpered, "Wake up, Tino, please. . ."

The man from before was standing outside her door – eyes locked onto the Finn that was placed in the bed. He watched as the female begged and pleaded in her own language, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He was quite proud of himself that he was able to help someone else out, but he didn't like showing it. He just kept the same expression on his face, watching her tend to the almost frozen Finn. He soon backed out of the room, walking towards the kitchen and looking through various counters to find something to make for the two.

Finding ingredients for Hot Cocoa, he made enough for a few cups to last them, and walked back into the room to the concerned little girl. He knelt down and handed it to her; "H'r'."

". . . Thanks." She muttered softly, taking the cup from the stranger and sipping it while staring at Tino. "You know... I told him I should have gone with him to the grocery store to help him back, but . . H-He can be a bit impulsive at times with me. H-He tries so hard to do things on his own!"

Silence. She should have expected this much from a guy she had barely met; Hanatamago soon broke the ice though, her fluffy hair trimmed and brushed out so that it almost looked like she had a coat on herself. The poor dog was pawing at Tino when it jumped on the bed, licking his cheek in an attempt to wake him up.

". . 't w'ld'v' b'n t' d'ng'r's f'r y' tw' t'g'th'r. . ." He muttered, taking a sip of his own Cocoa. "W's l'cky t' f'nd h'm. . . Th' sn'w w's t' h'vy f'r _'ny'n' _t' w'lk 'n."

"I-I see. . ." She could barely make out what he was saying, but when she did, she knew he wasn't kidding. When she was sprinting, there were various car accidents on the way to the store; How did she survive? It was possibly Jumala—Godthat helped the three through the winter storm... Yes. She nodded to that though – it _had _to be Jumala. If it weren't for Jumala, she wouldn't have the man that sat near her talking in english – which she could _barely _understand. "W-What were you d-doing before you found him . . ? I-I mean, why d-did you help him?"

". . . L'k' h'lp'n people." He muttered, slowing down his speech so she could understand and comprehend the words he was saying in front of her. "T' m'ny people w'lk 'n th' sn'w, 'n 'nd 'p g'tt'ng k'll'd. . ."

"I-I see. . . I-I really am grateful." She smiled, her voice trailing off when the violet eyes averted to the bed again. Damn, was Tino out cold; He would usually be up and bubbly with the day going by, but. . . He was unconscious – in what was close to a coma. "R-Remind me t-to make you something before you leave..."

"N' n'd. ." He muttered, waving his hand in the air. "'s l'ng 's h's 'k'y."

"Mm. . ." She nodded, taking a sip of the Hot Cocoa he had made her – though, it seemed different than other cups she had drank. Was this a homemade recipe? She would have to ask him about it later. If there even _was _a later time. "I-I don't think h-he'll wake up within minutes, s-so . . W-Why don't you go home for the night?"

"Nej. Wh't 'f h' n'ds t' g' t' th' hospital?" He muttered, standing up and placing the cup down to place the large hand of his onto Tino's head. He felt it for a bit, before taking his hand away. "Sm'll f'v'r . . ."

"..." Tina sighed, standing up and walking out the room to place the cup on the table. "I-I'll make him some medicine. . W-Why don't you stay for tonight?"

"M'm, 's 't r'lly—"

"I-I don't mind it at all! T-The snow is thick, and. ." She turned around, giving him a small smile. "I-It's the least I-I can do for your h-help. . !"

"'f y'u s'y so. . _Tack_." He muttered, giving a small nod.

"Not at all, sir. N-Not at all! And, um . . . C-Call me Tina." Even when he was being nice to her, she still felt quite intimidated.

"'nd my n'me's B'rw'ld." He held out his hand to her, staring at her through his glasses.

And. . . Ever so hesitantly, she took it and shook it. Maybe this man wasn't such a bad one after all. . .


	5. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 5

Seconds passed, minutes ticked, and at least one hour rang by; Tino was still in his dream world – in the place where people could not pester him even if they had tried. He felt so many emotions run through him at once during this time: Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Fear. . . Where _exactly _was he in this dream that made him feel like this at the moment? There was nothing but white surrounding him inside this little world of his; Not even _Tina _or his parents were there to come and talk to him.

Where was he again . . ?

He remembered what had happened before: He had fallen into the snow and possibly lost all the groceries that were obtained during that night. Maybe he should have listened to his sister and asked her to come along – that, or just staying inside for the day before the snow had completely smacked him down. He continued to walk around the atmosphere that was clouded by white, all those emotions now balling up into one emotion: Fear. Anxiety. He felt like crying, but he stopped himself before he started breaking down in his own dream.

. . . In his own dream. . .

Did that mean he was alive? He could only dream if his body was alive and breathing, after all. If he was alive, then he had a few questions: Where did his body lie at this very moment? Was Tina okay? He wasn't in the hospital, right? The hands that were placed into his coat pockets slowly covered the ears of his head, trying to block out any incoming sounds – even though there was just silence in that illusion world of his. More footsteps were taken as he continued to look for anything that could potentially awake him.

"_H-Hello_?" He squeaked out, "Tina. . ? Äiti? . . Isä. .?"

Tino felt like a little child who was lost in a large store, and was wandering around to find the parent or guardian that had disappeared in the first place. Once again he called out those three words, forming longer sentences or crying out pleads in the Uralic language. At one point, he even cried out _Hanatamago_'s name, and _that _was saying something!

"It's no use. ." He muttered under his breath, falling to his knees and staring at the white flooring below him. "I-It isn't a dream, right? E-Everything was _just _f-fine until I decided to go shopping. . . and all this flooring.. It's probably j-just snow, isn't it?"

The poor Finn felt like crying immediately after he came to this realization – his pale hand clenching into a fist before heading towards the floor again. It wasn't painful, and it didn't numb his hand, but he could care less about that at the moment. He just felt like punching the ground until he found a way out of this pathetic scenery – out of the place that was no longer his Dream, but his Deathbed.

. . . Until . .

His ears slightly twitched after hearing what seemed like a call of somesort. First it was just a random squeak in the distance, but when he focused in on it, he could hear his name. He could hear the two-syllable name echoing throughout the area. His expression slightly hardened, he got back onto his feet, and began walking towards a tiny light that appeared then and there. And he just kept walking closer. . .

And closer. . .

And _closer_. . .

…

"_Tino? _T-Tino? _Wake up, Tino!_"

He bolted up in a flash, spacing out for a few seconds before involuntarily shaking his head to focus on what he was looking at right now. _Right _in front of his face was Hanatamago on her back paws, looking concerned as she barked through his unconscious state. Tino blinked back a few incoming tears, before slowly turning his head to see Tina sitting on her knees in front of him. She had her hand curled up, unsure whether to pat him on the shoulder or not.

". . . O-Oh, thank _Jumala _that you're a-alright!" She cried out in relief, stretching out to bring him into a tight embrace. Tina felt like crying – wailing in relief that her brother was both alive and well after the hours of unconsciousness. In Tino's shock, he just sank into the hug, looking at the clock that was in front of him.

2:25AM. He had been out for quite some time, then . .

"Ah. . Y-You don't h-have to worry about me that much, T-Tina." He finally spoke after turning his focus to her, smiling nervously. "I-I'm sorry for getting you so worried and worked up. . I-I just thought I would be able to g-go grocery shopping a-alone for once..."

"I-I told you the snow was going t-to be h-harsh! T-That's why I had to run back h-home with Hanatamago q-quick . . ." She whimpered, "I-If it weren't for M-Mr. B-Berwald. . Y-You would have been a goner..."

". . . Who's Mr. Berwald.?" He blinked, turning away from Tina to find Berwald coming back with a hot bowl of what seemed like soup. He shrieked when he saw the glare beneath the glasses the guy was wearing. "_HYAGH?_"

"Hn . . ?" Berwald was confused – not exactly comprehending as to why Finland freaked out when he did. He just continued to lock eyes with the male Finn, walking closer with the bowl in his hand. "H's 'w'k'?"

"A-Ah, B-Berwald!" Tina used her hand to cover up Tino's mouth, "Y-Yep! H-He's awake! D-Don't mind him, he's probably s-still in shock!"

Hell _yes _was Tino in shock! What the hell was this man doing inside their home? Why did his sister seem completely fine with it even though she looked scared shitless? Would this man be leaving soon, or would he be staying in the house forever? There were so many questions that he wanted answered there and _now_. However, thinking about it gave him quite a headache, so he decided against it and to wait for the moment that he could resolve all the confusion that ran in his tiny little mind.

"' s'. ." He muttered, getting onto his knees with the bowl now resting in his lap. He grabbed ahold of the spoon, trying his hardest not to burn himself, nor burn Tino when feeding him. "Y' 'lr'ght, k'd? Th't w's s'm bl'ck't. ."

"H-Huh? _M-Me_?" Tino answered back, shaking his head. "D-Don't worry a-about m-me so m-much, M-Mr. B-Berwald. . I-I'm f-fine! I-It was j-just a little snow. ."

"T-That wasn't just a little snow, d-don't lie, _Veli_. ." The girl seemed a bit irritated, but Tino knew the reason why. It was 2AM of course, and she probably didn't get _any _sleep because of him; He would owe her for this later on, of course.

Right now, however, he had to be careful with what he was saying around the Swedish "statue." He didn't want to embarrass them, nor did he want to trust Berwald so easily. He was already jumping to the wrong conclusions, and he had not even started on conversing with the two.

"S-So . . Y-You're the one who saved me. .?" Tino muttered, averting his eyes to the bowl of soup that Berwald was twisting the spoon in – not to mention _blowing _on it to make the temperature drop a little bit. "_K-Kiitos. ._"

"_Va__rsågod_," He replied in his own language, scooping up a spoonful of the soup and holding it close to the Finn's mouth. "H'r. Y' n'd 't."

"A-Ah. ." He muttered, taking the spoonful in his mouth as if he were some sort of baby being spoonfed for the very first time in the child's life. Not that he didn't mind it though – the man was trying his hardest to be gentle in front of his sister; Not only that, but he could've sworn, the man was attempting to cool down all the food before the Finn burned his mouth. After it entered his mouth though, he could've _sworn _that this wasn't the normal recipe Tina or his parents were ever given. This was different – the ingredients lasted in his mouth, allowing the flavor to explore the rest of the cavern. Nevertheless, it tasted delicious to him; He wanted more of it.

"I-It's good. . ."

"_Tack_..." Berwald muttered, scooping some more up. "T'k s'm m'r. . . Y' n'd 't..."

Tina continued to spectate the two getting along just fine – even if Tino was freaking out and was practically trembling with every move the "gentle giant" made towards her brother. She felt kind of bad – leaving him in this position. As long as Berwald wasn't hurting him, though, she thought he would be fine in this position. The morning was just easing on by, so in the end she just passed out near the bed, her body curled up by it yet sprawled about on the floor. It was quiet for awhile after that . . Tino just continued to eat his food.

". . . S-She was really worried, huh?" He murmured, smiling sheepishly at the sight of the girl before him. "I-It was my fault a-anyway . . . S-She should've been able to get her sleep instead of worrying about me..."

"Sh' h'd a r'ght t' w'rry 'b't y'," Berwald didn't hesitate to voice his opinion, even if it was probably an inappropriate time to do so. "Y'r s'st'r r'n thr'gh sp'd'ng c'rs t' f'nd m' 'nd g't y' 't 'f th'r'. . ."

As if the Swedish man wasn't hard enough to understand already. His accent was too thick for him to even comprehend half of what he was saying. While he _could _understand the very first sentence that was said, the second one. . Gave him some difficulty. He just gave a small nod before realizing what the man had actually said.

"_W-What_? S-She ran through . . ."

"Thr'gh c'rs, _Ja_." A slow nod came from the man after the interruption, before it just dropped to dead silence again.

The Swede was right – he knew that for a fact. He acknowledged what the man had said, and placed his hand onto his chin to contemplate the actions his sister did for him. Running through speeding cars? Smashing through the ice that had formed on the streets . . ? Did she really go that far into looking for the two, instead of just leaving them – moreso _him _to die out there?

He finished the soup, before looking back at Berwald.

". . I-I cannot thank you enough, you know?" Tino chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I-I don't like to cause trouble, a-and I hope I can repay you in some way, shape, or form."

"D'n't n'd 't," Berwald waved his hand in front of him, putting the now empty bowl on the ground and standing up to push him back down onto the bed. "Y'r s'st'r 's alr'dy l'tt'ng m' st'y f'r t'n'ght. . . N't th't I r'lly n'ded it. ."

Another hard sentence to comprehend. . . Though, from the gestures, it didn't seem like he wanted it from the start anyways. He couldn't help but yelp when pushed down onto the bed, but that was most likely due to the surprise that was obtained from the gesture.

"M-Mm. . I-If you say so. ." He nodded, curling up into his bedsheets. "T-Thanks again. . P-Please get some well-needed rest. . Y-You probably have somewhere to go tomorrow..."

Berwald simply nodded, watching the boy get to bed before slipping off his glasses by the rim and placing it next to the bowl. He rested his head against his hands, and just closed his eyes to ponder about the Finn's well-being. Would he _seriously _be alright like this? Did those last few actions . . _scare _him? He could care less about that right now, and he just dozed off within minutes.

_Little did the two know, however, that this would be the meeting of fate between them. . ._


	6. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 6

**_Author's Note:_**

**_In honor of National November Writing Month, I present you with one out of 3 stories that I will be updating throughout the month! Or really, have updated. Instead of starting anew and writing 50,000 words, I will be working on my previous ones and hope to god that I can finish up what I've planned out! To be honest, Chapter _10 _was supposed to be big and dramatic, but I kinda. . ran short? I'll make it up in Chapters 11 ~ 15 when I can! Until then, enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>The alarm clock rang that morning – 10:00AM to be exact. The light was shining out the window, but it wasn't bright enough to blind a person that could be sleeping near the window. This just made Tina's eyes squint shut tightly, before partly opening them to check her surroundings. She had frequent yawning sessions within seconds, but after her eyes truly focused, she realized Berwald wasn't there anymore. She looked through the door way, realizing that his things were gone as well. Panicking, she got up and ran into the main room of the house, whipping her head from side to side to find him.<p>

"M-Mr. Berwald?" She called out for him, running around in her boots and tripping over the floor at least once. "Eep! H-Hello . . ?"

But the Swedish man was nowhere to be found. In fact, when she ran back into the room, she didn't see the bowl on the floor anymore, but a note that had it's own writing in cursive. She dashed over to the note, picking it up and reading it aloud to herself; She had to be careful not to read it _too_loud however, as she didn't want to awake Tino from the slumber he was having in the morning to recover from all the events.

"_Dearest __Tina,_

_I have returned home this morning due to the concern that arose with my parents late at night. I finished the dishes that needed cleaning from the night before. Tino's fever seems to have disappeared, but I wouldn't doubt it in a second. Your dog has been fed._

_Take care,_

_Berwald __Oxenstierna_"

It was a short note – mostly composed of words written in Swedish. Tina was getting a small headache from actually translating it, due to the fact that she had barely taken any Swedish Classes. Tino was the one who did that; Tino was the one who was able to read his Finnish and Swedish perfectly, and was able to comprehend what the other was saying. It wasn't that big of a problem though, since she got the message the third time she reread it. With a small sigh, she looked back at her brother – still sound asleep after eating his soup and all of that mess.

She shrugged and called over Hanatamago, who was stretching herself out after sleeping near the Finnish boy due to the amount of concern that had been raised in the household. She wasn't sure if Berwald had fed the dog – not that he had expected him to do so. The man had already done enough for throughout the night, and she had really wished that he stayed instead of forcing himself to go through the snow at this time of the morning.

"I will never understand how that man _thought_yesterday. ." She muttered, shaking her head before grabbing the bag of dry dog food and pouring it into Hanatamago's empty bowl. "I wonder if he live around here; H-He must if he didn't mind walking through the snow, right. . ?"

But, she digressed and decided to clean the rest of the house with the cleaning supplies that were placed under the sink cabinets. She sprayed the top of the counter with a type of soap, and began to rub it down with a cloth while humming a small little tune to it. It wasn't even December, and a Christmas tune had popped into her head; That didn't stop her from singing, though. She just continued to work on the house before Tino decided to wake up and do something else for the day.

It wasn't long before Tino _did_wake up; His eyes were half-lidded, but he could at least see movement throughout the open doorway of his house. He knew it was Tina – the fact that she was wearing the outfit from last night signified that she just woke up. He shrugged, stretching a bit before plopping back onto the bed, slinging an arm over his eyes and yawning a bit to try and focus in once more. He felt lazy – extremely lazy. Not to mention, _sick._

"_Hyvää huomenta_, Tino." Tina called out from the kitchen, looking out the window that was near the dining table. "How are you feeling this morning!"

"_Huomenta_, and. . I-I'm fine! You worry too much about me sometimes, Tina! I still have a headache, but I think I'll be fine throughout the day okay?" He sat up again, smiling towards her as if he was attempting to convince her. Tino used to do this a lot as a kid – walking up to Tina and telling her that he was fine, even though he wasn't at times; This usually happened with scrapes and cuts he got while playing outside. Oh, how his sister was such a worrywart. . .

"You don't sound okay. ." She muttered, soon walking inside his bedroom again. "Your face is all red, and you look pretty darn sick to me. You should lie back down and take a nap or something!"

"I don't want to, though~. Besides, I'm supposed to help you out with things today. . ." He paused, looking down to ponder about something, before looking back at her, ". . What day is it today?"

"The 16th, Tino."

". . Barely?" He muttered, pulling the sheets off of him to slip off the bed and head to the bathroom. "I thought a few days had passed!"

"You were only out for a few hours or so," Tina explained the whole incident to him – pushing him back into the bed all the while. She explained how Berwald had found him in the snow apparently, and how she contacted him through Tino's phone in order to find the Finn's body. She told him about her adventures in dashing through speeding cars and car wrecks in the ice, _just _to find her twin sibling. Every time she explained more of the story, she noticed Tino's facial expression completely flip through every word.

And, just as his face showed, he was both surprised and scared. He didn't know how to exactly respond to the fact that she could've gotten herself killed through all that running, but he decided not to question it. If she was able to do stunts like that, then she could survive any other incident they might run into throughout the school year. While Tino had the motivation to work, it always seemed like Tina had the willpower to get out of stressful situations. There were many situations he began to conjure up, that he just might need help on to lower the stress that'll come along with it. He continued to listen to the story, nodding after every sentence finished.

"S-So, t-that's why that scary man came inside the house. . ." He mumbled, "I-I mean, he seemed like a very nice guy, but. . T-The way he _**stared **_at me made it really creepy and uncomfortable!"

"Tell me about it~!" She immediately agreed, nodding and giving a small laugh all the while. "I think Hanatamago held back the urge to bark at him or something! H-He really was a weird person, nice enough to help you out through the storm or _not_."

"Y-You could barely understand him. . ."

"I could hear his voice whenever I read the letter he left. ." She responded, holding it up. "It seems like he went home or something in the morning – _early_ morning."

"I see. . ."

Silence then filled the air, and Tino was thinking about a topic to discuss until his eyes widened. His _school_! _Shit_! If the snowstorm closed it down, then how will he go to school for the next few weeks? He was mentally panicking, the panicking making him flail in real life or start stuttering when he was beginning a sentence.

"T-T-T. . . Tina. . ." The Finnish boy whimpered, waving towards him. "I-I have a question. . ."

"Hm? What's up?" She tilted her head, "Why are you flopping around like that? Y-You should _really _get some rest, Tino!"

"I-I know, b-but. . ." He shook his head, shuffling under his blankets and turning to his side to face her at a much better angle. "W-What about my _school_? I-I know the snow most likely closed it down, but . . I'm not sure what days I'm supposed to go now! I-I don't want them kicking me out b-because I didn't realize what days I'm required to attend. . . I don't wanna be kicked out!"

"C-Calm down, _Veli_. . . C-Calm down!" It was a basic command – one that he was used to whenever he talked with his sister. "I-I can go get you your schedule. I have to go out and a-attend to some business anyways, so _you _should stay at home and get some good rest."

"B-But, won't you end up like me?"

"I'll be going out with a friend – mostly because she can help me grab the rest of the groceries that were lost in the snowstorm." She responded, a proud, motherly-type of look on her face. "Don't worry, Tino~! It's my duty as your sister to help you, you know!"

He turned away when she mentioned the groceries, a small frown forming onto his face. He was relieved to find out that they were able to scavenge some of the groceries, but. . . At the same time he felt regretful. He sometimes wished he wasn't so persistent – they can't waste their money on replacing things, after all! After a few seconds, he just muttered the apology of:"_Anteeksi. . ._"

"Hm? O-Oh, don't feel guilty! Y-You already apologized enough. . D-Don't worry about it!"

"But still. ."

"Don't 'but still' me, Tino~!" His sister teased, poking fun at the small twinge of guilt he was feeling all the while. "You're going to be staying in bed, while I go out today! I'll be getting your school schedule."

"C-Can you get to Sibelius Academy? I-I mean – do you know where it is?" He was panicking, hiding his mouth in his knuckles; His sister might know her way around Finland, but that doesn't mean she couldn't get _lost_. Then again, it wasn't that far away. . . But, he still knew how clumsy she would be – getting her directions mixed up whenever she went off on her own. He had to admit that he was quite. . _Surprised _that she knew where the store was. . .

Huh. .

"I'm pretty sure I passed by it when walking around last night – I'll be fine, Tino!" She smiled, giving him a reassuring thumbs up. "Just wait for me, okay? It shouldn't be long when grabbing your schedule for school!"

"I hope the snow w-won't be too much for you. ."

"If it is, I'm sure someone can help me around here." She gave another quick nod, running towards the chair to grab her coat, before running towards the Finnish boy for a small embrace. She buttoned up her jacket – now reaching over towards her coin purse and cell phone. "Your phone is near your shoes, so you can just bend it down and pick it up if you need me. You'll be fine alone, won't you?"

"Y-Yeah. . I'm just worried about _you_. .!"

And there went the argument of reassuring her brother again. To be honest, she had her doubts about being able to walk outside in the snow, but she could bear it, right? Maybe she should've changed, first . . .

She ignored her indecisive mind, and walked outside with a wave to Tino to head towards the Academy itself – eager to see what it looked like anyway!

**~x~**

Tina was still trying to comprehend how _that _much snow fell in the middle of November as she walked down the path to Tino's academy. She remembered snowstorms being frequent in _December_, not _November_! Was it because of that whole Global Warming theory that everyone talked about when speaking about the daily weather? She wasn't exactly sure, but she would like to find out one day on her own. . If she ever had the chance.

Right now, the snow wasn't as bad as the night before. Some of it melted, some of it slid to the sides, and most of it just decided to slip onto the streets – which could cause a problem for all the drivers later. She hoped clapped her hands together, making a note that she would be confident and cheerful throughout this whole trip! She loved keeping everyone's spirits up, after all. Her motivation to go out and get back home safely was to the maximum it could go – allowing her to hum a little tune that she knew very well.

Just like her bro.

"Alright, let's see . . ." She reached the college building – the bulletin board that's top is covered with the white crystals that fell to the earth. She had to brush it away with her hand, looking at the papers that were protected by a glass "shield" of sorts. Her lilac eyes averted left to right in a sidescrolling motion – looking for Tino's name on the board that had their names, but . . She couldn't find them! Why aren't they here? Then again, she should've realized this for a _fact_. The snowstorm could have not allowed them to get the schedule posted up! She would have to come back later for it. . .

"Oh, Tino. . . This'll be such a hassle to get your schedule." She muttered to herself, turning her back to the board. "I guess I'll come back in a few hours! Yeah! Maybe the cold temperatures will have become a bit warmer!"

"_'re you l'king for th' sch'dule?_"

That _**voice**_! Tina recognized that voice within a heartbeat! It was quite surprising that she didn't forget how his voice sounded, and that's what made it extremely. . . _weird_. How come she didn't forget this person's voice; If this _is _the person she was actually thinking about. . . Her body whipped back around, the small gust of wind touching the tufts of her golden hair – the eyes widening at the sight.

Berwald. It was Berwald the Swedish man.

At least, that's what he had told her when they talked while Tino was unconscious, right? She shook her head, giving him a small wave, and then a nod.

"_K-k__yllä_!" She squeaked, noticing that the same blue eyes he had yesterday were giving her the same stare that she considered "intimidating."She tried her hardest not to show it – even though it was still quite obvious to notice the trembling she was working with right in front of him. The boots she wore shuffled through the snow, and she scratched the back of her head to act like this was casual. "S-Sorry about that, M-Mr. Berwald! I-I didn't see you there. ."

"Hn . . ?" He tilted his head in confusion, but gave a small nod. "It's f'ne. D'n't worry 'bout it. . . Th' sch'dule box is 'ver th're."

Berwald then pointed to the left, his gloved hand pointing towards the crowd of people that surrounded the tables outside. The people who were actually _giving_the papers out were wrapped up in large, puffy coats, or having beanies covering their head and ears. Some either had mustaches, while others had full-blown beards. Tina watched as the crowd decreased by number, and that was when Berwald started walking towards it. Without a second to waste, Tina ran right behind him, her feet crunching against the disappearing snow.

And they soon got up to the tables, finding the letter V and looking for the schedule that Tino needed to go into this school. Tina was just about to explain why Tino wasn't picking up his schedule, but it seemed like the man that she was speaking to didn't really need to _hear_the situation. He understood the situation, and just handed her a folder with the papers that were needed inside it.

"Be sure to give Tino here the schedule, and tell him that I give him my warm regards." The man spoke out to her – not even phased or bothered by Berwald. _Or_maybe he was, seeing as his palms were _really_sweaty, and he was just averting his eyes from Tina to the Swede rapidly. "A-And, make sure h-he does follow this s-schedule . . W-We don't need a student left b-behind. . !"

"Uhm. . Okay . . ?" She muttered under her breath – quite puzzled as to why the man was acting like that around her. Though, she read through the papers, clinging onto the folder tightly before whipping around to face Berwald with closed eyes and a small smile.

"I'm going to go home now, thank you so much M-"

She was about to finish her sentence, but as soon as she opened her eyes, the stare he gave her turned the sentence she was creating into a blood-curdling scream; Boy, was _he_scary!


	7. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 7

The next day, Tino had finally slipped out of the bed in good condition – at least, what _seemed_like good condition to Tina. His incoming fever was gone, he felt like he obtained enough rest, and he was about as cheerful and carefree as always again! The day before, she had allowed him to rest, making some tea for him that would help him get rid of the dreaded cold that invaded his body. She did not go over the schedule that day, and decided to do all the household chores for Tino whenever he fell back into his slumber once more.

The two siblings talked about Sibelius Academy, and how the Finnish student had liked it there. Tino was very eager to continue with his musical career, and explaining the future careers that he could pick were so frustrating to him at one point. Though, he used that frustration as motivation, and conversed with her about how the other opportunity he could have in the future would be to become a composer.

"They're looking for new instruments in the school, aren't they? So, you can't play the _Kantele_?" Tina pouted when she asked this question, giving a hesitant sigh.

"No. . . Not to mention, I left the one _Mummo_ gave to me at home. I'll just have to look for an instrument online!" He gave a small sigh, flipping open his phone and searching the _Google_website in order to find a good music company that he would have to rent or buy the instrument from. "People say the _Kantele_ is pretty old. . . I wonder if they would make fun of me because I wanted to use the instrument after playing it for a few years!"

"Ah, are you being self-conscious again. . ?" She laughed, though she was being a bit of a hypocrite. She was the same exact way. . "I-I know how you feel, though. Playing the _Kantele_ must be such a good talent, but n-not many people appreciate it, you know?"

"Ah, yeah. . . I-I know what you mean..." Tino nodded, reading through the schedule she had placed onto the table. "I-I hope getting the schedule wasn't too big of a hassle for you! How long did it take you to grab it and come back anyway? . ?"

"W-Well, you would have never guessed it, b-but. . Mister Berwald was there as well." She sighed, shivers going up the back of her spine from the fact that she could remember the same exact stare he was giving everyone. "I-I thought the schedule wasn't u-updated yet, but it turns out that the people were giving them out to the students on the far right of the Academy entrance. . H-He was kind enough to tell me where they were at before I went home!"

"B-Berwald?" Tino squeaked, "H-He didn't h-hurt you, did he? H-He's such a s-scary looking guy. . B-But, I will fight him o-off if he t-tries to hurt you!"

"T-Tino, _relax_!" She winced, grabbing his hands and clutching onto them tightly. Tina knew for a fact that her brother was overprotective at certain things, but she would have _never_expected him to spaz out about a man like Berwald. Then again, when she thought about it. . . It _was_to be expected. Berwald Oxenstierna was such a creeper at some points in time. . . "We'll be fine, okay? H-He's not going to hurt us or _anything_of the sort. ."

". . . ." And the boy digressed, heaving a large sigh in an attempt to calm his heartbeat and get out of the panicked state he had fell in from hearing the man's name. "A-Anyway. . . School starts n-next week, doesn't it?"

"On Saturday, it starts again..." Tina pointed out, pointing to the papers that she had pulled out of the folder once more. "A-At least your cold finally subsided. . ! I-I was worried you would b-be sick this next week, too."

"You really _do_worry about me too much, Tina. . . If I could last through the extreme cases of weather, I-I can last from a mere cold!"

"If you say so. . ." And along with those words came a laugh – not as nervous as it usually was, but pretty damn close to it.

**~x~**

Ah, the days passed again – the snow finally melting (or at least, the largest piles of snow), and returning to its normal cold weather in the daytime, and the nighttime. People were finally returning to their normal lives that involved working beneath the country that was covered in white at the moment. It would only be a few more months, and the country would finally return to the warm weather that could be found around some of Finland; Families were currently making something useful out of the snow – whether making decorations for their lawns, or letting the kids play outside, the country had it all for them at the moment.

Tino was now walking towards his school again – though, the bus (well really, trolley) was not too far off either. There were days that he'd rather walk down to school, and then some days where he would lounge about in the bus' seat – soon falling asleep on the seat because of how slow it had to go in weather like this. He couldn't afford sleeping on those vehicles, though, and just ended up pacing his steps to Sibelius Academy most of the time. Every new day was like an adventure to him, and he wasn't going to allow that to go to waste so easily.

When he got to the building, he noticed many of the kids just standing about. Some were actually texting on their phones before the bell rang to go inside, and others were talking about the snow that had fallen the past few days according to Tino's unintentional eavesdropping into conversations like those. He dug into his bag and pulled out his journal, grabbing the pencil from his pocket and keeping the two items in his hands while he walked throughout the crowd to get to his class early; It was a maneuver involving strategy, but everything seemed to turn out a-okay!

Well. . At least it _seemed_ like it, until he bumped into a stature that was much. _**Much.**___Taller than him while he approached the classroom.

His eyes moved – slowly but surely, to analyze the figure that stood before him. He took notice of everything: Dark Blue Jeans, A lighter blue sweater . . . blonde hair, glass—_**SHIT.**_

Berwald Oxenstierna: Also known as the guy that saved his behind the day before.

Tino didn't feel like saying anything – in fact, he wasn't _**sure**___if he should say anything for the moment. He felt like panicking, running, and a small portion of his mind wanted to kick him in order to plan some sort of strategy in order to get out of the academy for the day, and hope to the God that was out there that Berwald would never appear in his classroom. _**Ever**____**again.**_

Yet, Berwald wanted the exact opposite. It took him a few minutes to realize who he had bumped into again, but once he jogged his memory it wasn't hard to say that this was Tino. His expression appeared serious, but in truth? He was extremely puzzled for the moment. Why were people too afraid to speak to him? Why was it, that whenever he came up to people to talk to them, they blanked out and never spoke in front of him or they shrugged him off in order to get them away from him? He then took note to think about that later in order to analyze the small stature of a boy.

"_Hej_, it's y'." Were the first three . . . words? Tino couldn't even make out that sentence – just the mild use of Swedish. "H'w are y' f'lin'?"

More silence swung across them – mostly because the Väinämöinen brother wasn't exactly sure what to say to him. Should he reach out and shake his hand? Should he completely ignore him and walk off? Should he even _**talk**_ at the moment? They had a few minutes before class went into session, so why didn't he even _**attempt**_ to make conversation? Think, Tino, _**think**_!

. . . In the end though, it was to no avail. The bells that echoed throughout the halls played it's little tune before Tino noticed the students start rushing to the classrooms. Hey! He still had a chance of surviving without Berwald in the same class; What if Berwald had to leave to another classroom? He wouldn't have to worry about meeting up with him at all. In fact, with Berwald out of the way, he could probably live to see his sister again instead of having a heart attack from the fear that the man might kill his family or some shit like that. So, he began looking at the students file into the classroom – averting his eyes from left to right to make sure that Berwald wouldn't have any seats left. Though, from what he could analyze, it looked like there were several spots left in the classroom. . .

The bell rang.

He and Berwald were still standing in front of each other – except Tino was avoiding eye contact with the Swede. His hands clenched and unclenched into fists, a tick he had whenever he was in front of someone that he wanted to confront, but at the same time run. Chewing his cheek lightly seemed to help calm him down, too, but he could never make eye contact with Berwald. Never.

"_Tino?__Why__are__you__standing__up__at__a__time__like__this?_"

There came the professor – walking in with her slim black heels that seemed to fit her perfectly. When looking at her from a distance, she looked like a normal student. Though, when she stood in front of you, it was quite easy to tell that she was one of the teachers that worked at Sibelius Academy. A small wave came from her, and she held onto one of the class' books that looked like they had numerous sticky notes falling out on the sides. Blonde hair neatly cut short, and green eyes analyzing everyone inside the classroom. "Oh! You must be the new student I was told my class would be getting today. . Nice to meet you, Mister. .-"

"B'rwald." He muttered, averting his eyes from Tino, to the teacher, then back to Tino. "B'rwald Ox'nsti'rna. N'ce t' meet y'."

"A-Ah. . ." The teacher wasn't blind to the stare the Swedish man had given her before he looked back at Tino. She didn't exactly know what to say – scratching her chin. "R-Right. . Well, m-my name is P-Professor Vogel. U-Um . . If you would say with me after class, I-I would be happy t-to give you the rundown of the c-class this year."

"_Ja_." He muttered, looking around the classroom to find an empty desk. Tino took this chance to dash towards his desk with his supplies in hand, hastily sitting down and placing the books on the desk while a few other students looked at him in pity. He was _stuck_with this guy! What if he's some sort of murderer? Or a stalker? Nevertheless, he waved all the other students off to signal them that he would be fine. It was a total lie, however.

"_M-Mr.__Oxenstierna__.__.__!__H-How__about__you__go__sit__behind__Tino__over__there?_"

Well, _**Fuck.**_

"F'ne by m'." He responded, fixing the bag that was slung over his shoulder before he walked towards Tino, giving him a small stare before taking his place in the seat behind him. _Why_did the Teacher have to point to his side of the classroom out of all places? Did she _love_seeing him flustered, or was she just trying to get the man out of her hair? Tino didn't care which excuse the teacher used, he just wanted to have the man get out of his site. Not to mention, he was being given some very awkward looks at that moment, and he really didn't feel like being in class now.

Well, the year couldn't get any worse right? He just had to stay positive. . Stay. Positive. .


	8. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 8

_.__.__.__**WRONG!**_

The school year was more likely to get worse than anything else in the _entire_ world! Throughout the whole class period, the Finnish boy wasn't able to keep his concentration on the work that he was assigned to do in the said classroom. He could feel Berwald's eyes peering on him in order to examine how he worked, or at least on what he was doing. Whenever he stopped to turn around and look at Berwald in the eyes – he was automatically intimidated and would rotate back to his paper or work that he was supposed to be doing at the very moment. He wasn't even sure if the teacher cared about Berwald being inside the classroom now, but a few people were turning to look at him and Berwald – and were, most likely, getting the wrong ideas from all of it too. Intimidation. Determination. If those were the two words on Berwald's mind, then he was obviously being quite successful at it.

Tino was trembling in fear – at one point _dropping_his pencil because he couldn't deal with the amount of eyes now turning to face him. The teacher wasn't really paying attention at the moment; in fact, the Finnish boy was pretty sure that she wasn't even aware of the situation. Though, he just had to stop and keep his cool for that very moment. Class was going to end in half an hour, right? If he could be one of the first few to get out of there, then he wouldn't have to worry about the Swede boring at him with an enforced glare. Well, it probably wasn't a glare, but Tino wasn't going to take it any other way; Didn't this guy gawk at everyone else the same way?

He then reached back to look at his classmate, his hand shakily coming towards his mouth to cover it in order for him to whisper back to him.

"C-Could you, um . ." He could've sworn that sweat dripped down the corner of his face, "C-Could you please _not_s-stare at me like that. . ? S-Staring g-gets me nervous. ."

"Hn?" He muttered, giving a small nod, "S'rry."

Oh. Well. That wasn't hard at all, wasn't it? Tino could feel his eyes finally take their leave and return to what they were ever looking at previously – _if_they were looking at anything else previously. Tino peered at the clock that was in the front of the classroom; How long did it take for him to hit 20 minutes on the clock? Those whole 10 minutes passed by at such a quick pace that Tino thought the teacher had changed it for a second there. He shook his head, making sure the pencil moved across the paper swiftly so he wouldn't have to worry about having so much workload at home.

Meanwhile, Berwald, was in a daze – still captivated by the boy that sat in front of him. While he did take his eyes off of him, the Swede couldn't help but avert his eyes to look back at the blonde hair that covered the back of his head. He had worked on most of his classwork that he was to complete for the day, but in the gold-colored journal that was on his desk, he had been sketching Tino out the whole time. His pencil was running across the crisp paper, each line adding a single line that was needed for detail on the hair. He was trying to recollect the thoughts of how his face looked from the front – only remember the small details like the color. He couldn't recollect it all, and ended up ceasing his sketching as soon as the bell rang for college's end. Berwald did not take his time packing up the notebook – knowing that if Tino saw the doodle that he created on the front, he would probably be considered a stalker. However, when he had finished cleaning up a simple nod with that intimidating look of his was made towards the teacher, and he had left with a small goodbye escaping his lips.

That was how the day ended for him at any school he had applied to.

Actually, it was normal for him to stay quiet and not exactly say goodbye like someone else would. He had his reasons – ranging from extremely unreasonable to extremely sensible. Berwald Oxenstierna was a male student that had a life much different than anyone else's. He was a hard worker, a good teen, but he had a few records for being mistaken for being a criminal in the country. With that problem always hovering over him, he walks on the right side of the school's entrance and heads through an alley – trying to avoid any other people if he could, as well as sneak away from the cops whenever they try to stop him for some reason or another.

He hailed from Stockholm University – having some of the best grades while being one of the star students in the class, but his family was more of a bitch than anything else. He was dropped off with his sister – and the two lived together in a small house that was owned by her and her only. Sure, people lived inside the sibling's house, but the female was the complete owner of the household. They were on good terms for awhile before his sister became a rich sort of aristocrat in a sense after his parents had passed on from old age.

Her name was Ingrid Oxenstierna. Like her brother, she was in college, but she was one year above him. She took up the opportunity to take Berwald in under her wing; 18 years old and his twin at that, her major was more so aiming towards the duties of Law and Justice – Forensics, at the least. The only _extremely__noticeable_difference in them was the fact that she went to the University of Helsinki, but she was still close enough to check up on him almost every second of the day. She was aware he didn't have his future planned out yet (he always _was_considered the slowest Swede of the family), but she was going to _make_him plan out his future in the College – and maybe even get him to be her partner-in-crime, too. . ~

Berwald pushed the thought of his sister controlling his life into the back of his head – stuffing his hands into his pockets while his bookbag was slung over the shoulder. He was quite grateful for the snow to be falling on the ground at a time like this; it made him trudge through the area much slower and keep him from listening to around ten minutes of his sister's bickering. There was _much__**much**___more to it than just ranting about how he'll never be good enough for her.

A grunt escaped his lips, and he finally arrived home. The scarlet colored abode was covered in a sheet of white, and his steps were crunching through it to get to the actual door. He slowly turned the doorknob open, peeking in and fixating his glasses so there wouldn't be any light making some sort of reflection against his glasses. Whenever he was able to sneak into his house without his sister knowing he was around, he was quite lucky; he always seemed to get by whenever that happened. She wouldn't even lecture him the next day.

He crept his way inside the house, closing the door slowly and precautionous until he heard a certain heel coming from the hallway to the right of him.

"Bror_.__.__?__'s__it__j'st__me?__'r__are__y'__home__n'w?_"

That was the only few words it took, and Berwald was mentally and internally _**scared**_.

**~x~**

Moving on. . . Tino was on the phone while walking home, carrying his bag with the assurance that he nothing important or valuable to him would fall out of his pockets or anything. He was talking with Eduard again, explaining the situation with Berwald and their mysterious meeting. He was also talking to him about Tina, who was most likely at home now.

"So, from what I understand, you were saved by this really tall and intimidating-looking guy?" Eduard cupped his own chin, thinking about Tino's words. "I'm sure he's not such a bad guy, right?"

"H-He kept _staring_at me in class, though . . ! I-I'm just walking b-backwards now so I don't run i-into him."

"You're pretty paranoid sometimes, Tino. It's actually quite funny!" Oh, the Estonian always made this remark when he found something funny to be made out of Tino's paranoia. "I remember when you and I used to play as kids, and you would be so scared to go down that huge slide in the park, and start bawling your eyes out because of it. Your _ema_had to cradle you until you realized it was safe once you slid down."

"I-I was scared of heights at the t-time! Why are you m-making fun of me because of that? That is _completely_different!"

"I get it, I get it. . !" Eduard let out a small, but hearty laugh erupt from his throat. Tino was such a cowardly one at times, though he couldn't blame him. He was always safe and never harmed, so getting harmed was Tino's largest priority besides finding a career and such. It was also something he had to worry about at times – seeing as he didn't want Tino being freaked out over a major thing, and end up calling him while he's not available.

"I-I'm starting t-to think that you don't. . ." Tino muttered to himself away from the phone, before placing it back at his ear and stopping to rest on a bench while he waited for the bus to drive up – not that there were many buses in Finland. A lot of people just walked everywhere, and Tino was one of them.

"Oh~? Are you _doubting_ me?" His Estonian friend took everything lightly – at least, that's what he thought on the outside. However, Eduard did not feel the need to break into a serious mood at the moment. He would have to take care of Tino, but instead of taking everything seriously on the outside, he took it on the inside. "Well, don't worry. My advice to you is to just call the police if it ever gets _too_awkward and weird, you know~? We can't have you getting hurt over such a small thing like this."

"I-It's not s-. . Yeah, I know. ." Tino clutched his chest with his free hand, groaning all the while because he felt like he was going to have a heart attack from the simple words his best friend had given him.

Saying his goodbyes, he hung up and closed his phone – placing it in the front pocket of his book bag before zipping it up and leaving it on the bench while he relaxed. How could his friend take everything as a _joke_? Was he even _taking_it as a joke? He wasn't exactly sure himself, but maybe it would all clear up sooner or later. Right now, he had to focus on getting home – on doing his daily "chores" of a sort, and he had to refrain from thinking about how freaky Berwald was in class. Why was he even staring at him from the _start_?

When the bus pulled up, he let out a simple shrug and stuffed one of his hands into his pocket, slinging his bag over his shoulder once more, and walking towards the stop with a distant expression plastered all over.


	9. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 9

A week had passed of the Finnish family, and their settlement in the area finally stuck into one place; Tino was no longer misaligned with his thoughts and ideas, Tina was finally applying into some more colleges (and jobs along the way), and even though Tino disliked going into class with Berwald there, the amount of days he actually _attended_the class were at an all time low. Out of the ten days of the week, he was only in class three of the days – and even _then_, it didn't seem like he was in the best of moods. Although Tino hated the fact that he was in the classroom, he couldn't help but worry for a second there. . . Just _what_was going on in that Swede's family life?

But, no. . . He stopped worrying after smacking himself in the face several times. He was probably some sort of deranged stalker! Why the hell would he be worried over a silly little guy like him? If push comes to shove, he wouldn't _have_to worry about him after awhile. He could go back to his simple life, and – for all he knew – Berwald would cease to exist in Helsinki, Finland.

He woke up early in the morning – eating his normal Finnish breakfast, when he suddenly realized that his sister had not woken up yet. Maybe fixing hot cocoa would help a little bit, since she could probably sell the cocoa beans grinding up and filling the room with such a smell that could not be blown off by the coffee addicts. Tina always seemed to love the chocolate drink around her – not to mention, the taste of it probably mesmerized her quite a few times during the Christmas weekends and such as a kid.

He spent a few minutes mixing the chocolate together, using his hands to pack her up some lunch so she would be set when she went job searching some more. Although she had applied to around two or three jobs, Tina was known to write down several other choices in case all else failed. Sure, there were some problems that racked around the Finnish economy, but that happened in _every_part of the world. They surely weren't the ones with the most drastic changes.

Spacing out with economic debates in his mind, he realized that Tina had _still_not risen from her slumber. _Now_was the time to get concerned; Why the hell wasn't she waking up at a time like this? It was bad enough that she wasn't the first one to get up, but the fact that she didn't get up even _after_fixing up Hot Cocoa for her was quite an odd combination. Not to mention, it was out of the ordinary for her to do that.

He stopped working in the kitchen for a minute, dashing out the entrance only to find his poor sister slumped out across the floor.

His face turned completely red – fear and panic being the only two words that could be written on a paper if he were to take notes on the situation. Without hesitation, Tino dropped to his knees – feeling the forehead of the blonde female to see if she had some sort of fever.

Without a doubt, she did – her breath hitching slightly from the icy touch of his palm. She couldn't exactly talk, nor could she exactly rest correctly if she's just sprawled out across the floor. He kept calling out her name – calling out the word sister in Finnish, but to no avail. Trying to stop himself from hyperventilating, the boy stood up and bent down – wrapping his arms over her small frame in order to pick her up and drag her to the couch. He rolled her over onto her back, unbuttoning a jacket she had worn from the night before so she wouldn't feel stuffy or suffocate inside the smaller jacket. The cherry tomato face was hidden under some damp hair, but her mouth was parted open in order to take some air in.

"_Sisko_! H-Hang on, okay? I'll get some help soon!" He squeaked, sprinting towards his room and ignoring the fact that he had just tripped and almost stepped on Hanatamago's tail. He ran to his bed, grabbing the aquatic-colored cell phone and looking through the numbers that he had logged onto the address book. If there was one thing he had forgotten to ask his sibling, it was the type of medicine she was to take whenever she got sick. Unlike him, who could take any medicine in the world and potentially recover, she certainly couldn't. She was either allergic or immune to how a certain medicine worked, and that wasn't good for any future use she might have to come across.

"_V-Ve.__.__.__li__.__._"

Tino nearly dropped the phone, running outside his room (and actually _hopping_over his faithful doggy friend) to find out that the voice came from fragile body that belonged to his sister's. He now sat onto his knees again, brushing the hair out of his face while frantically asking her about her condition.

"I-It's. . . just a. . cold, _Veli_. ." A small cough erupted from the violet-eyed girl, "I-I'll be fine. . Shouldn't. . . you be focus. . ing on your. . work?"

"I-I have to make sure that y-you're cured first! I-Is it a normal cold? Or is it some sort of d-disease that I'm not aware of?" He practically waved his hands in the air – flipping out because she wasn't answering fast enough for him.

". . .Just a. . n-normal. . C-co-" The poor female could not even make out the many words at the moment. It was more than just a small cold if her voice was cracking like this during the night. Why was she even on the _floor_in the first place? Was she in pain or did she have some other symptom that made her pass out and drop down to the floor or something? Tino wasn't sure, but he felt her head – only to feel a fever coming on quickly.

"I-It's not a normal cold, _Sisko_. . ." He squeaked, grabbing a hold of her hand, "What is the medicine that you take. . ? I'll go out and buy it for you while you rest."

"There's a. . n-note i-in my bag. ." She muttered, ". . w-was. . Supposed to go and buy it last night, but I didn't. ."

"Y-You caught the cold last night, right. . ?" He whispered to himself, shaking his head. "Y-You shouldn't have been out and about so much. I-I'll go b-buy the medicine for you a-and such! You stay here!"

He didn't allow her to speak anymore, and left with an instant sprint over to her bag to look through it to find the so-called "note" that she had put in there. He had pulled out several things – from a scarlet red-like lipstick color, to an agenda filled with all of her daily needs. He then pulled out a pill bottle, noticing a note placed inside it that was _clearly_from a Doctor's Office. This had to be her prescription bottle – otherwise, she wouldn't have had it in the first place.

Not even bothering to read the medicine's name, he walked back to his room and looked through his closet – finding some plaid sweatpants and a shirt to go under his hoodie. Though, when he was busily getting dressed, his rush cost him more time than it need be. He couldn't find a good pair of socks at first, then he couldn't find his hoodie, and he almost stepped on the speedy Hanatamago's _tail_! He was cursing himself in Finnish – finally ready once he put on his tennis shoes, before tying them up and grabbing his wallet and the prescription bottle before running out the door with the keys in his pocket.

**~ x ~**

It was a pretty easy stroll outside – seeing snow still falling, but in small and selective patterns. Tino liked the way this weather was; Even if he did have to rush, he didn't fall face first into the snow like he did awhile back. He had texted Eduard – telling him about the situation because he knew Eduard had cared for Tina like a little sister. When Tino was trying to protect his sister as a younger toddler, Eduard would always have his back and protect her for him. It was just how they were raised – not to mention how they found out how their morals should go.

Tino rubbed his hands together – the necessities in his front, back, and hoodie pockets while he walked across the street onto another portion of the sidewalk. His paranoia tendencies finally kicked in once he turned left near a street sign, and he started performing double-takes in case someone was stalking him – not that there _were_many stalkers in Helsinki, anyway. He was afraid of someone coming up from behind and taking him away – and for some reason, he couldn't help but think that _Berwald_ would do something of the sort like that. . .

Oh there he _goes_again; once again, he has thought about Berwald Oxenstierna and the day that his life was saved by both him and his sister. He started reminding himself to see if he had locked the door – knowing that Berwald was probably smart enough to remember where his house was. At the same time, there was a bit of hope in wondering if Berwald even _knew_where he resided again. He stopped at the door to the Pharmacy, shaking his head to get the thoughts out, before making an attempt to push the door open.

"_Oh,__'t's__you._"

Purple eyes dilated once he saw the figure _just__now_exiting the store in front of him. W-What in the _hell_ was going on? Why was Berwald here of all places? Did Tino have to _think_about Berwald in order for him to appear out of the blue?

"Y-You're, B-Berwald!" Tino squeaked, pointing a finger into his direction, but then pulling it down after he realized how rude he had been. "I-I'm sorry! F-Forgive me! I-I was just walking in to grab some medicine f-for my _Sisko_!"

"Y're. . . _Syster_ 's sick?" He muttered, eyes moving to view the smaller figure before him. "Wh't sickness?"

"I-I'm not sure. . !" If Tino had a quarter for every time he flipped a shit in front of Berwald, then he would probably be rich by the time he got to and from the pharmacy. He swiftly dug into pocket, shakily pulling out the bottle and showing it to Berwald. "S-See? I-I'm not sure what's going on. . I-I just know that this is the type of m-medicine that my _S-Sisko_uses!"

Berwald blinked, taking it from his hand and looking at the label himself. The orange-like bottle was something that he had seen before, but it wasn't in the actual sections of the drug store. Realizing that it was prescribed, he moved out of the way to let Tino in – pointing to the back of the pharmacy.

"C'me in." Simple words, simple commands. "'ll show y'u where y'u can f'nd the prescr'bed medicine 'n here."

". . E-Eh?" Tino blinked, finally calming down and getting out of his shaky state. Was Berwald. . _Helping_him again? Why was he being so nice and calm in front of him, but he looked like he was about to kill an innocent because they took up his time or something of the sort. Though, he better take the help – what if his thoughts were right? He simply nodded, running inside and looking back at him while muttering a low and subtle _"__kiitos.__"_

The Swede closed the door behind him, using his hand to coax Tino to move on to the back where the counter was. It was quite funny at first – seeing a small figure tremble under a tall guy _just_so they could obtain the required medicine and dash out without any spectators keeping their eyes on him. _Surely_Tino didn't want that to happen.

Surely.

Though, the silent steps the men took weren't so bad for awhile. Sure, Berwald looked like a cold-hearted killer. Sure! He might have punched a few people out more than once, but it didn't look like he was going to kill Tino. The Finnish stature had to admit, he needed to let his guard down a smidge in order to get his objective completed within a short amount of time. While he was still panicking a bit, and while he was _still_stammering while speaking, he took mental notes on each medicinal section Berwald spoke to him about. He was pretty damn helpful, if the Väinämöinen could say so himself.

Berwald, on the other hand, felt quite nervous on the inside. He wouldn't admit it, but he pretty much knew that Tino wasn't exactly comfortable with him around. The Swede thought it might be a good idea to start up a conversation, but the only thing he could mutter out were the several aisles that were around the area. Berwald actually wanted to ask for his number, or at least a day that the two could study together; he wanted to get to _know_the little guy, not crush him under his palms! When they reached the counter, he just looked off to the right – not exactly keeping his expression onto Tino. He didn't want to scare him any more than he already did. Though. . .

It wouldn't hurt to sneak a little peek at the boy's frame once in awhile, right. . ?

His hair, his eyes, and his stature were quite. . . interesting. _Never_before had he seen a boy that eye color, and he liked the type of guy that tended to tremble in fear most of the time – not that he would _hurt_them or anything, though. He liked the men being naïve, and seeing them naïve made him realize that sometimes they were the types to blush real easily. It was hitting him like a brick – his appearance and everything would never leave the back of his head.

He was. . _**Attracted,**_**to****Tino****Väinämöinen**. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about the situation.

He couldn't think about it anymore though, once he saw Tino finally grab the bag of medicine and look back up to him.

"E-Excuse me. . Mr. B-Berwald. . ?" Taking a deep breath, his face hardened, and his tone became _much_more serious. ". . T-Thank you for getting me the medicine for my _S-Sisko!_"

Berwald could've sworn he heard a small gasp escape his lips.

"Y-You know, I-I've been worrying a lot! To tell you the truth, I think I should a-apologize for everything. . ." Tino huffed, taking Berwald's wrist and pulling him to the side so he could talk privately with him. "I-I've been getting these crazy ideas on h-how you might hurt my sister in some way shape and form! I-I keep thinking you'll hurt us, or even try to slap us around!"

He simply shook his head.

"But. . I-I think I can trust you! Y-You know, when you get away from the look. . . Y-You're not so bad after all! You're just like o-one of us: N-Nice and Friendly!"

It was then that Berwald was just completely, utterly, _**shocked**_. It wasn't that he took the words that Tino had compiled into a sentence as an insult, but the fact that he actually _complimented_the intimidating boy was the reason as to why it was a real kicker for him. He felt his heart slap him across the chest a couple of times, and the next thing he knew a faint tint of blush rose onto his face. He cleared his throat for a second, giving Tino that long, hard stare before turning on his heel and moving away from him.

"W-Wait a second!" Tino cried out, tugging on the man's wrist in order to stop his movements temporarily. He noticed the phone drop to the floor – eyes dilated while he could've sworn sweat slid down the corner of his head. Oh _boy_was he lucky that the poor thing didn't break; he wasn't exactly sure how Berwald would react to it being shattered in pieces. "L-Let me g-get that for you!"

Tino could've sworn that whatever he was about to do was quite possibly the most foolish thing that he would have ever done. He was flipping open the male's yellow phone.

He was inserting his number. Into that phone.

The _words_that slipped through his lips were finally coming to play.

Tino Väinämöinen had officially established connections with Berwald Oxenstierna.

What did he get himself into.


	10. Warmth with Chills: Chapter 10

Ah, December – the coldest time in Finland, but at the same time the most enjoyable time. It was only yesterday that November was making it's final approach before the icy season hit Finland. That meant something to the country as a whole: Christmas was going to be coming in soon! Everyone had to busily shop for the 25th of December, and surprise the other children with the magical figures that they believed in for quite some time.

For Tino, it was such an eventful yet nostalgic time. As a child, he was not the one to play with many action figures like other boys would; instead, he would play with a Joulupukki doll and discuss to his parents about the appearance of the man in the red suit. He would squeal and twirl it around in joy, not exactly giving a care in the world because he was doing something a girl would probably do when she's waiting for Joulupukki. Tino didn't really mind the other boys teasing him with the doll, because he cherished it due to the relatives of his creating it for him. He would mutter his small wishes to the doll, and ask for the family to be together and for peace and prosperity to come by and sweep them all off his feet.

Though, now as an adult, he would walk around in a Santa Suit and give out small amounts of Euro or candy to the children around him. He liked spreading the Christmas cheer, and – if he could – he would most likely obtain a job of dressing _up_like Joulupukki, and letting the children tell him his wishes within his ears. He was quite the listener, and people couldn't exactly lie about him being ignorant. There wasn't a time of the day or year that he would ignore someone's words – be it wise or be it meaningless. In fact, he was considering taking up the job in a nearby toy store to dress up as the Christmas figure and cheer up the kids, even if now was the age where he did not believe in him anymore. It was nice while it lasted, though, because it gave him ideas on what to do with his life.

However, there was just a small thing still bothering him; the fact that he gave out his number to Berwald the day before still kind of scared him. Berwald had not texted him yet, and at the same time he did not text Berwald. Although he was probably not the extreme texter, Tino was still weary of the people he came into contact with. Maybe the Swede just wanted his number in case of an emergency? Maybe he needed help on his studies – even though Tino didn't to do anything that would involve coming into unneeded contact with him. Then again, his goal was to be generous right? He had to deal with it, even if he would refuse to deal with it with anyone else.

Tino was stuck at home again, making some soup for his sister while she rested on his bed until she recovered. While Tina _was_doing her best to get enough rest into her system, there were a few hours where she refused to fall back into her long slumber because of the amount of sleep she had gotten before. She would need some sort of _**tranquilizer**___if she wanted to fall back to sleep any time soon. Tino would just have to soothe her a bit with his songs and treatments, even if it _would_take awhile to get her to fall back to her resting state.

"_Hyvää__huomenta_, _Sisko_." He heard her groan a little and noticed her sit up from the sidelines. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better, _k-kiitos_. ." The twin wasn't exactly in a condition that was worse than before, but she sure did sound like it. She sounded so squeaky whenever she tried speaking louder than a whisper. While there _were_times that she could attempt a much better enunciation of her words, most of the conversation became hums or a susurration of the sort. This made Tino fall hysteria thinking that his sister may be dying right before his eyes. Tina had to reassure him several different moments of the day in order for him to regain the composure that was leaving him. When Tino finally _did_chill out, there was always a small moment of silence until Tina turned her back to him and went to sleep.

Speaking of Tino, he was busily sighing in relief; his sister was doing a-okay, and that was all that mattered to him. He felt that it was his obligation to share the same amount of pain that his sister must, but he didn't get carried away there. He knew his sister would be _furious_if he had harmed himself just because of her, and in the end, he had to make sure that he didn't do that in the first place. He wasn't a big fan of self-harm, either – seeing as his panic attacks might have made a deeper wound if he even _**attempted**_ it. It went against his morals, in any case, and going against his morals felt like he took a sword and jammed it into the heart of the ones who taught him these morals: his parents, especially.

The _keitto_was busily boiling in the pot, Tino taste-testing it once in awhile to make sure that it didn't have less flavor than it should when it comes to helping people heal with it. When he experimented with the _keitto_he made, he usually put a drop of medicine inside the food itself. He wasn't exactly sure if he should at the start, but when he does, he makes sure that it's approved for animals to use it as well. If it isn't approved, he won't use it because Hanatamago likes to eat his food as well. From what his senses obtained from the juicy substance, the soup was done and it was ready to cool down and be served to his sister.

"_Sisko!__Don't__fall__asleep__yet,__okay?__The_keitto _will__be__ready__to__serve__in__just__a__minute_!" was something Tino always said in order to make sure that the person who was trying his food wasn't busy doing something else in the meantime. He wanted to make sure that they were ready to eat before he caught them in a pinch or two. "Go ahead and sit up, I'll feed you the soup!"

"A-Alright. ." She murmured, shuffling to fix her hair and look the tidiest she could be while she sat up and looked towards the direction of the kitchen. "_K-Kiitos._."

"_Ole__hyvä._" He murmured, noticing Hanatamago pat at his pant leg in which he bent down to pet him on top of the head. "Hey, Hana . . ! Do you want some _keitto_, too? I'll be happy to serve you some, but you need to be careful! I can't have you burn your little tongue from how hot it is at the moment!"

The dog simply barked – the puffy, white tail swishing back and forth while she barked up at Tino in eagerness. A small chuckle came from Tino, before he stood back up and wafted Tina's breakfast in order for it to cool down. While doing so, he also turned down the oven so the soup would stop boiling and it wouldn't overheat or explode while he wasn't looking. When he felt the time was right, he pulled open the drawer from below him and grabbed a spoon before closing it back and walking over to the living room without spilling it onto the floor. It was quite obnoxious at times, though, especially with Hanatamago almost making him trip and spill the food on himself and the dog several amounts of times.

"Ah. ." Tina flashed a weak smile at him, noticing the piping hot soup being placed in between his legs. "Y-You . . .made my favorite type of _keitto_. ."

"I wanted to! I even used a little bit of medicine inside of it, so hopefully it tastes the same as it always d-does!" Tino laughed, putting the spoon into the soup and blowing on it before placing it near the opening of Tina's mouth. She instantly obliged, taking in the soup and swallowing it with a small amount of delight coming from her throat. "Well?"

"I. . I love it, Tino. ." A beam made way to her sickly expression, and she was eager to take in some more because it was what she was used to doing whenever she was hungry and was eating a food to her greatest liking.

"T-That's great! I'm glad it all worked out in the end!" He clapped his hands together, lifting it up and placing it on the white sheet in between her legs. If she spilled any on the blanket, then he really didn't care. It was more so the possibility of the girl spilling it all over herself. "Now, be careful okay? I don't want you to burn yourself anymore than you already are!"

"You worry too much." She spoke out, giving an edgy laugh that came out in a form of a mouse's squeak. "I-I can take care of myself. . . Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Well, yesterday it was an early dismissal, but. ." He shrugged, serving some to Hanatamago before standing up and walking out to face her while standing. "I don't really mind missing school for you. You need to fully recover in order for me to leave without worrying about you every second of the day."

"Oh, Tino. . ."

She drank her soup quietly after saying these words, though Tino wasn't quite sure what the use of those two words were all about anyway. He just shrugged and walked back into his room to go and change, getting ready for the day ahead of him.

Though it wasn't really a day, it was going to be a simple trip to and fro the store. He had to go out without worrying about Tina too much at _one_point, right? Not to mention, he should go look for something to eat for dinner while his sister busily eats the _keitto_he had made for her. He walked into his room to put on a coat and some new pants – leaving his pajama shirt on because it would be covered by what he was putting over it, and there wasn't a need to change it due to the fact that there weren't any people of the formal sorts coming over.

He heard a knock at the door while slipping on his shoes, yelling "Coming!" all the while bouncing out of his room and holding onto the nearby walls so he wouldn't fall while doing his tiny hops. Walking up to the front, he unlocked the door and opened it – instantly letting out a gasp of surprise, eagerness, and happiness all at once.

The man at the door was clearly a boy like him – though his hair was more of a golden blonde than Tino's extreme yellow radiance. He wore glasses – incomplete glasses that allowed his teal-colored eyes to gaze over the lens without being blinded or ruining his vision any further. A bronze coat that could satisfy any cold weather's needs was wrapped around his waist, and he was wearing a flag-like scarf to boot! Pants were neatly tucked into his boots, his laptop was tucked beneath his underarm, and there was a small smirk forming onto his face. He let out a small laugh, an accent _anyone_could consider strange coming from his mouth.

"**Eduard**_?_"

Eduard Von Bock, the Estonian Best Friend of Tino Väinämöinen, was standing right in front of him. He walked into his house, analyzing each and every decoration and surrounding that was placed around the house. He did not even notice Tina on the couch yet, but the reason for that was that he hasn't spoken with her in ages. He lost her number after obtaining a new phone, and almost forgot to ask for it constantly.

"_Tere,_Tino! Didn't expect me to come and visit my old friend, didn't you? Haha~!"

"How did you even get my _address_?" He pondered, but he could've _sworn_that he knew the answer already.

"Tino, I'm an _expert_at locating the IP Addresses, exploiting viruses, _and_creating said viruses, yet you're asking me that simple question?" He should've known; While he didn't approve of hacking or creating viruses, it was all for a good cause. He had to remind himself that Eduard owned over _nine_computers in his house, and each one was used to experiment the silly viruses that he had created in order to make the internet a much safer place. While his dream was to find all the viruses and somehow exterminate them, he knew it would take awhile for him to actually come up with the right necessities. The two only became friends because of their families being great friends, and became even _closer_during High School – where Tino's personal computer had crashed, and Eduard was there to make sure it was completely fixed without problems.

"Good point." He laughed; anyone would find that extremely creepy, but he _knew_Eduard. Eduard would never reveal this information to the general public. "Well, go ahead and make yourself comfy! I'd like to c-catch up with you for today after I get back from the store!"  
>"Hm?" Eduard blinked, "What seems to be the rush?"<p>

"Oh, there's no rush, I'm just buying dinner for myself today! Tina's eating _keitto_because she's sick. . ."

"T-Tina's here. . ?" His voice turned into a whisper for a second, making himself involuntarily shake his head a couple of times to knock some sense into it. "Tina! T-That's great, ahah! I can't wait to see her!"

"Eduard. . ? Is that. . You?" The sickly intonation came out of Tina's mouth, her nappy hair getting in the way as she turned around and sat up to face the door. "L-Long time no see. . I-I wasn't expecting you t-to c-come and visit. . ."

"Ah. . ." His voice became quiet, and he scratched the back of his head. Walking over to the living room, he placed the laptop on the floor – kneeling down to Tina's height and ruffling her hair a little while releasing more of a timid smile. "Yeah. . It's me. How'd you get sick. . ?"

"S-Seasonal cold. ." Cough, cough. That was all that came from Tina at the moment. "I'll be fine. . T-Tino obtained my medicine the other day. . ."

"Ah, is that so..?" Eduard looked back up to him, "Do. . Do you need anything else?"

"_E-Ei.__._Just your company is the biggest help I could ever have. ." Seeing an old friend always made Tina's mood brighten up – whether she was miserable or not. "Tino. . Y-You can go off if you want to. I'll be . . fine with Eduard here."

"Ah. . Y-You sure?" Tino trusted his friend, but. . Trusting Tina's words in this condition.

"Yes. D-Don't worry about me. . ."

For sure, Tino put all his trust into those two; However, hearing _Tina_say that everything was going to be okay felt like a bad vibe to him of some sort. He didn't want her to suddenly grow even sicker while he was gone, because if that happened. . .

Well. He was sure that everything would be okay, right? Nothing too big, but nothing too small. .

Yes. He would have to rely on his friend for Tina. After all, it was about time they reunited before he did. . Right?


End file.
